treadmill Doctor Note :

MSRP:

$800

Overall Rating: 4.95

Livestrong was introduced last year to strong reviews ' unfortunately they didn't live up to them. One CPSC (Consumer Products Safety Commission) recall later and they are back in action. It appears that the second try is much better than the first.

General Information

Livestrong is a new brand but uses derivations of existing designs that Johnson has been producing on their Horizon, AFG, and Vision brands for years. We are glad that they didn't try to reinvent the wheel because they are really getting their act together quality and production-wise (their one misstep was the Livestrong ellipticals which had to be recalled last year due to a defective design).

Quality / Philosophy

A new brand for Johnson. We gained a much greater understanding of Johnson's business this past spring with our visit to their headquarters and facilities in Taiwan and China. Johnson is the most integrated manufacturer of fitness equipment in the world. This can be both good and bad. The good is that you are in control of almost all aspects of production. The bad is that you are in control of almost all aspects of production. They really seem to be focused on doing things the right way so it appears that this is a case where it is good. If they do have a problem, they only have themselves to blame. Overall, we were impressed with their quality procedures (although they apparently didn't put a human on the new Livestrong ellipticals because on our first test model, the pedals came right off the tracks- and that's what caused the recall) and design and testing processes and this year's reviews will reflect our better understanding of their operations.

Outlook

We think that Johnson is going to make a big splash with Livestrong. The product looks very good in relation to the price that is being charged and it can't hurt having Lance Armstrong on your team. Johnson is known for product support so even if the brand doesn't catch on, the machines share so many parts with Johnson's other brands that support should not be an issue.